


A Different Life - Y1

by alliekhaleesi



Series: A DIFFERENT LIFE [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Action & Romance, Developing Friendships, F/F, F/M, Friendship, Guilt, M/M, Magic, Original Character(s), Other, Slow Burn, Wizarding Wars (Harry Potter), Wizarding World (Harry Potter), Wizards
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:34:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26850736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alliekhaleesi/pseuds/alliekhaleesi
Summary: Fiction becomes reality, powers become realized, and a great responsibility falls on her shoulders. She'll begin to realize very quickly the true weight of what her presence here means...
Relationships: George Weasley/Original Character(s)
Series: A DIFFERENT LIFE [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1977361
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	1. PRELUDE

Golden years, of sunsets, of laughter, of pain. Guilt, and closure.

Choices matter the most in this. Change can be made in careful circumstances. But what sort of effect will it have?

Soon, we’ll begin a tale, in which the threads of time work so intricately.

It’ll span over a life that will see change in many forms, in one’s self, in decisions made, in the effects over the lives they touch, under the weight of silent responsibility. A life that’ll see things one never thought they’d see. A life that’ll grow, and learn, and empower.

A Different Life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there! So I want to do a little explaining. What you've just read is a teaser of things to come. I have been working on this fic for the last 15 years of my life. A project I've put down and picked up many times before, and decided finally, back in May (2020), I will pick it up and devote myself to completing it. Fulfill the dreams my little 13 year old self had. 
> 
> I want to extend a lot of love to my friends who've been wholeheartedly supporting me in all this (Amary, Jade, Ferdie, Oscar, Chester, etc), and a lot of love to my amazing beta reader, Harri, who's helping me make sense of everything that I will be posting soon.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy, and stick around! More coming soon!


	2. Magical Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Today, we begin the tale one never thought would be told. A story of a person whose life was changed forever, a little later than they expected. A story where fiction came to life, things they never thought possible were a reality, and a responsibility was rested on their shoulders. A burden? A badge of honor? We’ll find out.
> 
> The story this person belongs to is one far from average. One filled instead with chaos, with tension, with life-altering decisions...
> 
> Well… let me show you what I’m talking about. 

Year 1 - Bitter Water

July, 2006

* * *

Summers in Florida rarely ever change - to be frank, in this particular city in the south, summer lasts nearly year-round. It makes for a nice vacation spot for many who don’t get to experience the warm weather as frequently as this city does. But that’s not all the city has to offer. You’ll also find a melting pot of culture, of music.. And magic. 

In a somewhat quiet and normal neighborhood was a set of houses lining the narrow street, each various colors and sizes, giving way to a set of trees near the end of the street, leading to the next block of houses. The trees curved, arching over the street and cast a cool shadow over the end of the block, formed by years of cars heading to and fro. 

Of all the houses, one in particular in the middle of the block was the least quiet. Where silence would occasionally be broken by cars driving by the main street they bordered, today found a dog barking non-stop in the backyard. 

The one story house was painted a pale yellow, with three front facing windows, the front yard lush and green despite the hot temperatures, a driveway paved all the way to the right, empty for now. A small garden rested under the window on the left where blinds opened, as a young girl peered out her window to squint outside. She was unable to find what was causing her dog to bark so much - the street was mostly empty and nobody was wandering outside now that temperatures were swelling to high 90s. But she remained unbothered by the heat, grateful for the AC their home gave. 

She pulled back from the window and clambered off her older sister’s bed, creeping out to head back to her room. The girl wasn’t very old, just about 13, soon to be 14 in just two months. She was excited - to her, this was grown up. She would be starting high school, unfortunately on her birthday in August, but would be meeting new friends and spending the next four years in the high school she was excited to apply to for the art program. 

She was rather short, and had a mess of wild, wavy black hair like her mother. She always tried taming it, but the humidity was never kind to their latinx hair, so she usually wore it down or in a ponytail, like today. Despite those genes, she usually bore her Peruvian heritage proudly. 

Her brown eyes scanned her bedroom from her door and she beamed as she always did on seeing her room. 

Her room was as personalized as it can be. On walls of deep red, in between posters and printed pictures of her favorite cartoons or characters, she also hung her own drawings. They weren’t very good, but she cherished them regardless. Sketchbooks in worn conditions rested in a dusty pile in a corner of her room by her closet. Another small pile of clothes draped over her desk chair on the opposite end. Her desk, where her old, mostly nonfunctional computer was, also was the workplace of her art, writing, and reading.

Mostly her favorite series, Harry Potter. Just the past winter, her sister brought her to see the latest movie, Goblet of Fire, in theaters and she remembered just how much she adored the series. It showed in the red and gold Gryffindor scarf splayed over her bed, in the collection of books she had already read over and over, and the drawings she’d done of Fawkes the Phoenix, Hedwig the owl, of some of the characters… 

It was also a small comfort she cherished. Since she was very young, she’d always felt something was strange about her. Maybe she overthought it because she’d been so obsessed with Harry Potter, but she felt she dreamed the time she’d purposely taken some scissors to her hair at age 5, and somehow the hair grew back before her parents came home and blamed her sisters. (They were sleeping at the time, so it wouldn’t have been fair.)

Or the time she encountered a strange creature that looked like a dog when she was very young, that disappeared before she could call her mother over. 

Or when she was forced to wear a bright pink dress by an aunt and instead of it being pink when she was changing into it, it had turned a nice shade of maroon. (She didn’t like pink very much as a child.) 

Despite all the circumstances, she was always told she was normal as normal can be growing up. She had a very loving family, but she always felt like the odd one out.

Suddenly, the barking grew louder and was right under her window, which was facing the backyard, and the smile slid off her face. She growled in irritation, and wrenched her slippers off, changing from pajamas into a shirt and jeans, and pulled her shoes on, storming out to the backyard. 

“Harley!” She shouted, and there was the sound of claws skittering on concrete as her dog came running over at the sound of her voice. Harley was a medium sized dog with a mess of thick brown, black and beige fur, and blind as can be, relying on smell to find her. He knocked into her legs and rushed off again to the backyard. She followed him down the concrete pathway that led from the side of the house - which was fenced off so Harley couldn’t escape - to the actual back of the house which was part concrete and mostly grass. A large glass ceiling with wood rafters covered over the concrete part that was usually a lounge area. 

There was a loud _thunk_ noise as Harley ran straight into one of the chairs in his haste to rush away, but he was hardly fazed, rushing and jumping up at the tall fence dividing their backyard from their neighbor’s.

“Ouch!” The girl hissed sympathetically. “Harley, hey!” She called at him sharply, but it didn’t dissuade his barking. If she couldn’t get him to stop, they’d get another noise complaint…

She strode to the edge of the concrete area, stopping short where the bright sun beamed hot onto the earth and looked up in the direction he was barking. The neighbors had a massive mango tree with branches that crept over their yard so they could share fruit, and as she squinted, she saw one of the largest branches swaying under the weight of a large, tall brown Tawny owl. 

She stared in confusion. She almost thought it one of those fake owls people put on their roofs to keep birds from landing there… but it wouldn’t make much sense to have it in the tree--

Suddenly, it spread its swings and swept downward. She shrieked, ducking to avoid it colliding with her head, but it glided down gracefully and landed on the large glass table gently, despite its massive form. Talons clanked gently on the glass and she straightened slowly to look at it, in shock.

Owls were an extremely rare sight, and in her limited knowledge, not really native to this part of Florida. Much less one just living in the neighborhood. Heart racing, she considered for a moment whether she should rush inside and call some sort of wildlife federation to retrieve the bird when a flash of white finally caught her eye.

Clamped in its beak were two envelopes. She hardly had a moment to try and see what they were as Harley rushed over suddenly, trying to jump onto the table and snap at the bird. Hurriedly, she threw her arms around him to calm him.

“Hey! No! Shh! Stop!” 

The owl flapped its wings in disdain and immediately dropped both envelopes, taking flight back to the tree, further into the neighbor’s yard. Harley and the girl fell over as the dog turned sharply to follow its scent, recovering quickly and bounding back to the fence to bark a few more times before finally falling quiet, pleased that he’d chased the intruder out.

“Ow…” She winced, getting up slowly and rubbed her back, standing up by the table to pick up the envelopes. There was green inked sloped handwriting that she didn’t recognize, and no stamp. 

But the envelopes were addressed to her.

_Alejandra Solares_

_Little Coral Terrace_

_Yellow House in the Middle of the Street_

_Backyard_

“What?” She stared down at the envelope in shock - she could feel her stomach flop unexpectedly and her heart start to go wildly in her chest. Both of them had her name and held her address. When she turned them over, there was a wax seal which she instantly recognized as something completely fictional. 

Set in crimson wax, was the seal of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHH it's happening! I've finally gotten this ready enough to post! I hope you enjoy this! 
> 
> Once again, I wanna give a shout-out to my friends supporting me in this. This has been a 15 year endeavor that I'm finally seeing through. Special thanks to Harri, my awesome beta-reader for reading through this with me. <3


	3. Fiction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Today, someone finds that those nearest to them may hold more secrets than they thought...

This had to be a joke. Maybe it was somehow a gift one of her friends had managed to get for her early. Disappointment immediately filled her - or maybe someone was pranking her. The thought was nice, if it was the former. Her friends knew how much she loved the series. 

But how could they have got an owl?

She took the envelopes with her back inside and retreated to her room, closing the door to read whatever letters her friends (or whoever had sent this) had wanted to give to her. 

But what met her instead was more of the sloped handwriting. The first was a letter of acceptance to Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry, penned by Albus Dumbledore. They went for a note of genuinity at least… book lists, and everything. Maybe it was her sister. She could ask when she came home.. 

Then there was the second letter, which was shorter, and read,

_Dear Miss Solares,_

_I hope you are doing well. I imagine receiving this letter must have come as a shock to you. Such an interaction ordinarily would not occur. However, I am reaching out to you for a very important reason_ _which_ _I hope to discuss with you soon_ _,_ _in person._

 _Should you doubt the legitimacy of this letter, I hope that perhaps my word is enough to dissuade any doubts you may be having. Please respond soon with your acknowledgement that you have received this and that I_ _may_ _pay a visit to your home in two days’ time at 8 o’clock in the evening to speak with you and your parents._

_Respectfully,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

**Wait. Wait a second.**

No, there wasn’t any way this was real. But this was a personalized letter -- 

**In two days’ time? Not to mention, Dumbledore had…**

The thought of Half Blood Prince was fresh in her mind. Maybe, this whole thing was an elaborate surprise and her parents were planning something Harry Potter related for her birthday, and it all began with this letter.

Her parents - she could just ask them if it’s legitimate, that’s all she needed. They could clarify it, prove to her maybe there was some sort of surprise planned early.. Yeah, that’s all she had to do…

Yet, there was a sensation in the pit of her stomach that had her heart racing excitedly for some reason. Maybe.. there was something genuine in all this, and maybe it was the hope that somehow, this all really was real.. 

When she was nine, she remembered when Harley had gotten out from the backyard. She’d been the only one home at the time, doing her homework, and something told her to go out and find him. It was a strong feeling, and she hadn’t questioned it, running outside. A passing car had missed him by inches, her hands closing on his collar as he lunged at a cat across the street.

That same feeling was nagging her at that moment, telling her that there was something more to this - more than a fun gift - and it kept that hope alive. 

* * *

By late afternoon, her father was the first one home. Antonio Solares was a man of slightly darker complexion than his daughter, with jet black hair always brushed neatly to the side, wavy, and a thick black moustache covering over his upper lip. When he wasn’t wearing pressed slacks and polo shirt with the name of his company, he’d usually be dressed more casually with novelty shirts they had gifted him through the years. He, like her sister and mother, wore glasses, though her mother usually only wore them to read. 

His resting expression was generally one of intensity, but the moment he spoke, his kindness and humor almost always shone through.

Alejandra always called him the King of Dad Jokes.

The moment the front door closed, she leapt out of bed and rushed over with both letters held behind her back.

“Hi, papi!” She greeted him cheerfully as he slid out of his dress shoes and set his leather work bag down onto the floor.

“Hola, mija _._ ” He greeted her, chuckling as she kissed his cheek. It was warm from the heat outside and she could see faint beads of sweat on his forehead. 

“Hot?” She asked, reverting to English instinctively, despite her father responding back in Spanish.

“ _The hottest. Walking out of the car to the house gets me sweaty right away._ ” He dabbed at his forehead with a handkerchief he conjured from his pocket. “ _Have you done anything all day?_ ”

“Well..” She danced a little in place, watching him step into his favorite rubber slippers. He eyed her warily.

“ _What did you do?_ ” He began in a warning tone.

“I didn’t do anything! I just… well, I had a question..” She hesitantly took out both letters from behind her and handed them to him. “I got these today - a couple of hours ago. Harley was barking really loud for like twenty minutes and when I went outside to check, this owl came out of nowhere and delivered these to me. It disappeared into Dan’s tree.” She motioned in the general direction of their neighbor’s house. 

Antonio took the letters and looked them over curiously, opening the first one that was the letter of acceptance to Hogwarts. For a second, his expression slipped into one of shock that Alejandra caught right away. Her brows went up as he quickly hid it, folding the letters hastily. 

“Hey-- what happened?” She asked, following him as he began to stride further into the house. He stopped and turned to her. 

“ _Nothing. Don’t pay attention to these letters, Ale, they’re fake._ ” But his tone didn’t convince her, and that same little sensation in the pit of her stomach flared. Almost like she knew he was lying. It was the same feeling she’d gotten when she’d asked if she was normal and they’d tell her yes. 

“Who sent them to me?” She pressed on, despite getting the feeling that she was going to be triggering her father’s temper soon.

“ _Nobody you need to worry about._ ” He answered sharply, heading to his office room in the back of the house.

“But _pa_ , they sent an owl, and it was addressed to me--”

“ _You are so stubborn!_ ” He whirled around, immediately angered, and she flinched, shrinking back away from him. “ _What did I just tell you?!_ ”

There was a ringing silence where Antonio seemed to catch himself almost immediately, and sighed heavily through his nose. “ _Go back to your room._ ” Without hesitation, Alejandra scurried away, blinking back tears. She could feel the lump in her throat, and she tried swallowing it down, her breath short. She never dealt well with being yelled at.

It took her a few, steadying moments sitting on her bed to try and not cry from the way her father was reacting - not just the anger, but the clear denial. The disappointment from before was quickly melting away, and now she felt herself tossed about by waves of emotions. Disbelief, longing, curiosity, hurt… And the suspicion that there was something much more significant in the letters’ arrivals than her dad was letting on. 

The afternoon dragged on, and even with her attempts to make it through the book she’d been assigned before her first classes (which was incredibly boring to her), or to get through her least favorite level for the fifteenth time of Phantom Hourglass on her DS, nothing tore her thoughts away from the owl and the letters. 

When the front door opened again, and she heard the clacking of her mother’s shoes, Alejandra jumped up to her feet. She’d done the same when her sister had gotten home earlier, as well, but Graciela was a busy college student now, so she’d shut herself in her room before Ale could ask her anything. 

This time, she didn’t rush to greet her mother, which served her better because when she cracked her door open just enough to look at the sitting room, her father had just approached her mother and was talking softly to her. 

Arlette was who Ale took after most in features. Same dark hair, a couple of beauty marks on her face, same dark brown eyes and eye shape, her face just a bit more lined from age. She was still in her flight attendant uniform, having just arrived home from work, her glasses dangling from a chain around her neck.

Arlette furrowed her brows and pulled on her glasses and Ale watched her expression shift, much like Antonio’s did when he read the letter. They murmured to each other and Ale slipped silently back into her room, heart pounding. There was no denying it now - somehow, this letter was significant. Something about the way they were speaking in covert whispers, the way that her father seemed nervous was telling her that this wasn’t something they planned. 

Was this all real? Of all things, was _magic_ real? It couldn’t be. That couldn’t have been something that would go under the radar for so long. It was all something from a children’s book. If it was real, someone would’ve heard something, seen something, and it wasn’t as if they could Obliviate everyone!

 **But your parents are acting kinda weird about this** , said a little voice in her head. **If this was something they planned out as a birthday gift, they would’ve just told you. They wouldn’t have made such a big deal about it.**

**Magic’s real.**

There was a sharp knock on her door that made her jump and she gave it a few seconds, pretending like she wasn’t just snooping on them, before opening the door.

“Hi? Oh, hi, ma!” Ale attempted a grin at her mother. 

“Ale.” The look Arlette gave her made Ale’s smile falter right away. “ _We need to talk._ ”

“O-Okay.” Ale swallowed nervously, and she heard another knock, but at her sister’s door. She heard faint, indecipherable voices as she was led out of her bedroom to the sitting room.

Ale anxiously sat, hands on her knees, on the three seater yellow couch pressed against the wall towards the entrance room, while her mother sat on the gray couch to the right of her. 

Graciela drew a pink sweater on as she appeared, slightly taller than Ale, frowning through her glasses, running a hand over her slightly longer hair, wound tightly in a bun as it always was. She paused a moment, and then sat beside her sister.

Ale blinked back at her, wondering what was going on, her stomach fluttering nervously. “Ale.” Antonio and Arlette sat on the gray couch and Antonio set out the letters onto the table, leaning forward. His expression was strangely serious, and Ale felt even more nervous. “ _We have something important we need to tell you._ ”


	4. Truth Will Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarification is finally given, and someone begins to learn more than they thought they would of themselves...

“What?” 

It felt oddly like there was no sound anywhere in the house, not even the gentle creak of the house settling or cars occasionally driving past, or the fact that Harley began to bark outside again. Ale stared blankly at her parents, hardly believing what she’d just heard. This was all just one big prank, something to trick her, right?

 **But maybe it wasn’t** _._

“W-What?” Ale repeated again, looking between her parents to see any semblance of a smirk or laugh. They looked back at her, seriously. 

“ _You are a witch_.” Antonio repeated. The dull thumping of her heart pounded in her ears now, and she was vaguely aware her palms were now very sweaty. The kitchen light, which was still on, as night gradually fell outside, flickered and her parents and sister glanced nervously at it. 

“Calm down.” Graciela said suddenly and Ale flinched, looking at her in surprise.

“W-What do you mean?” But Ale watched her eyes whip again to the flickering light and Ale released her tight grip on her knees, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. The light stopped flickering, but her heart didn’t stop pounding. She wasn’t sure whether to be excited or afraid. 

“Wait, wait, okay--” Ale said, holding shaking hands to her mouth as she tried to formulate some semblance of a comprehensive thought, but her mind was running wild. _I’m magical. I’m a witch. It’s all true!_ “Wait, you’re telling me-- **are these letters real**?” 

Once more, she expected someone to laugh, to shout “Surprise!” or to do _something,_ but instead her parents nodded in unison and Ale gave a sharp noise - an attempt at a laugh but it came out more like a yelp. 

“ ** _How?!_ **” She gasped, looking between her parents and her sister. The shock waned enough that she realized her sister had to know as well, based on her reaction. “Hold on wait--”

“ _Let us explain first._ ” Arlette began, holding a hand up and Graciela put a hand on Ale’s shoulder, forcing her to sit down properly. “ _First… like your dad said, you are a witch.. You inherited it from your_ bisabuela* _Marciela. You didn’t get to meet her because she passed away before you were born. We knew there was a chance you or your sisters could be magical._ ” She sighed, giving pause to let the news sink in. Ale didn’t say anything, her breath catching and feeling an odd shiver in her core, waiting to hear more. 

“ _The problem is… the way your_ bisabuela _died was…_ ” Arlette paused again, looking nervous now, so Antonio continued for her. 

“ _She was killed by a wizard._ ” 

“What?” Ale’s eyes widened, jaw falling open.

“ _He was imprisoned as far as we knew,_ ” Antonio explained, “ _They reached out to your mother and family for arrangements of safety but by then, all of those… people had already fled. That war was over._ ”

“The--” It began to click into place now. “Are you talking about the First Wizarding war? The-- the one with Voldemort?” 

All three nodded and Ale fell back, feeling a little lightheaded. “K-Keep going.” She said, desperation in her voice. Her palms felt a little sweaty, clutching her knees once more.

“ _We thought of telling you, you showed signs when you were born. But… your mother was nervous. There was so much danger surrounding the.. Others again. Like before. And by then, we were living here. We had no school to send you to, no money to afford supplies… we made the decision not to tell you. Raise you as a “normal” child. It was difficult for you, you sometimes made things happen. But eventually, it wasn’t so intense that you could pass as non-magical._ ” 

“G--Graci and Ari knew?” Ale’s voice was barely a whisper by now, looking at Graci again. Graci nodded. 

“We could tell when you were young. I remember when we watched Sorcerer’s Stone together, Harry reminded me of you. I asked _mami_ and _papi_ and they told us the truth, told us not to tell you..” Graci swallowed thickly for a moment. “I didn’t think it was fair. So… when you wanted to start getting more into Harry Potter, I sort of tried to use that as a subtle way to tell you.” She looked guiltily at their parents, but they didn’t look angry. 

Arlette sighed, clenching her hands together. “ _Like we said_ … _As you were growing up, we started to see the news of disappearances, of dangers happening--_ ” 

“The Second War.” Ale finished for her and she nodded. 

“Don’t-” Graci started suddenly and they all looked at her. “Don’t.. Tell her.. They haven’t published the last book yet.” 

“Wait, so-- you’re telling me all of those people we’ve been reading about are actually _real?!_ ” 

“I think so.” Graci said and Ale sat forward excitedly. “But, Ale, they’re in an entirely different country and remember all of this happened in the 90s.” She glanced down at the letters. “Which makes this so much weirder. Dumbledore reaching out to you…” Graci and Ale locked gazes with a knowing look - Dumbledore didn’t survive the beginning of the Second War. He’d been betrayed. 

“So… th-there wasn’t any school here? Or was it the tuition? I get it being hard for supplies and stuff..” She turned back to her parents.

“ _It was closed down when you were really young. And we didn’t_ _want_ _to send you abroad to another school while there was all of that second war business happening. We didn’t know what was going to happen._ ” Antonio said, reaching for the Hogwarts letter now and holding it rather daintily between his fingers, almost as if afraid the paper would somehow combust. Ale couldn’t help but think that the war must have ended favorably if things weren’t complete hell now, but being disconnected from the wizarding world at a young age had her in the dark. 

“So… now… this.” Ale vaguely motioned down to the personal letter and the family nodded in unison, staring down at it.

“...We should hear what he has to say, if it’s really him.” Graci spoke up, and there was a rather tense silence, broken finally by the sound of motion as Arlette reluctantly leaned forward and handed Ale the letter.

“ _You should respond. This is probably very important._ ” 

“R-Really?” Ale looked hopefully at her mother, and she nodded at her.

“ _We’ve kept this long enough from you._ ”

Feeling like she wanted to cry from the resulting happiness, Ale jumped to her feet. She wanted to be angry at her parents for holding such a massive secret, and she couldn’t deny the resentment she felt, but the momentary joy occluded that feeling for now, and she rushed back to her room to write her reply on a sheet of blank paper. Nobody stopped her, or said anything while she was gone - at least that she could hear, because when she came back, they were softly conversing and Graci was at her mother’s side, rubbing her back gently.

Ale’s joy was punctuated with nervousness. “W-What happened?” 

“It’s nothing.” Graci said quickly, as Arlette sat up and wiped her eyes. The still simmering resentment seemed to fade at the sight of her mother’s tears and Ale frowned. It wasn’t very fair that they’d kept the secret from her, but knowing her parents, they did it more out of a place for the family’s safety at the time. 

“Did you write the reply?” Graci held her hand out for the letter and Ale handed her the folded paper. Graci unfolded it and began to read out loud.

“ _Dear Dumbledore,_

_Thank you for reaching out. I am excited to hear from you. My parents and I say yes to you coming over. Please respond as soon as possible._

_Alejandra Solares."  
_

Ale watched her sister pause over the letter and sigh heavily.

“We’re writing this together.”

It took some time before they’d finally gotten a proper letter done together, folded and put into a reply envelope for Dumbledore.

_Dear Professor Dumbledore,_

_Thank you for the letter. I was very surprised to read it, but I’ve discussed with my parents about your arrival and_ _we have_ _agreed to_ _your proposed visit_ _. We_ _anxiously await your arrival, and further discussion._

_We also want to let you know that my parents have just begun to discuss with me over my magical lineage and anything we discuss will essentially be starting from the beginning._

_Respectfully,_

_Alejandra Solares_

The owl, grateful to be free of the thick humidity and heat of their city, finally took the letter later that evening. The truth seemed to finally set in at the sight of the owl, as they watched it take off noiselessly into the night sky. And now began their wait for Dumbledore’s supposed arrival in two days. Ale both wanted to pry her parents for every detail, and wanted to wait for Dumbledore to hear more about her magical ties. 

When the family was finally settling in for sleep, Ale felt wide awake. The small lamp on her nightstand bathed over her in golden light as she scribbled her thoughts away in her notebook. There was a gentle knock on Ale’s door and she sat up, resting her notebook on her lap.

“Yeah?”

The door opened slowly, Graci peering in. 

“Hey.” 

“Hi.” Ale blinked at her. “Everything okay?” 

“Checking in.” Graci shrugged and Ale looked down at her notebook.

“I’m alright. I felt really weird after all that came out… I can’t believe they didn’t tell me before.” She frowned down at the paper and clenched her hands a little. Then resentment bubbled in her, and confusion. “I… I get being scared, but I spent a good part of my life questioning myself. I didn’t understand why things were happening.”

“Mami and papi did what they thought was best.” Graci said, leaning against the door frame. “You should know that.” 

But Ale’s frown didn’t let up. “Did they ever get angry at you getting me into Harry Potter?”

“Sort of. But not really. I think they figured you would think it’s fiction, so you wouldn’t think it was something that was happening to you.”

“You and Ari never really showed any signs? How come it wasn’t either one of you?” She looked at her sister now and saw a flicker of envy in her eyes.

“I don’t know how genetics work with magic. But I guess it’s better that we didn’t. There’s not really any community here and we’d have to be hiding it all the time anyways.”

 **That’s true, but we don’t know where the community might be here. They’d be hidden away, like all the other witches and wizards do** _._ Ale finally closed her notebook and set it aside. 

“This is weird, isn’t it?” Ale murmured, looking at her sister once more. “Dumbledore reaching out? This has to be before he... he was killed.” 

“It’s definitely odd. But we’ll have to see what he says and why he thinks you need to hear it.” Graci frowned, looking deep in thought for a moment. “Whatever it is, just don’t overwhelm him when he gets here. Stay calm.”

“I know.” Ale pouted at her and Graci turned, leaving and closing the door behind her. With a sigh, she sank further under her bedsheets and stared at the yellow glow her bedside lamp gave off. 

_In two days’ time…_

* * *

The household was buzzing with nerves from everybody. They’d gotten in touch with Ariana, who couldn’t fly down to visit and see what was happening, but they’d updated her on Alejandra finding out the truth. It was another touch of bitterness that Ale felt her whole family knew, but not her. She wondered if her aunts or uncles did as well. If there were any magical cousins she didn’t know about… 

With the visit being planned so late, nobody needed to take time off work or school, yet there was still worry Dumbledore would be late, or wouldn’t show up.

They’d been sitting around the kitchen island, watching TV after dinner to try and work off some of the nerves when the lights flickered ever so slightly. It was eight on the dot, and they all looked around in alarm. Ale felt her heart shoot up to her throat in anticipation as a knock on the door followed and Harley began barking again. Graci hurried to the backyard to shush him, while Antonio stood, striding quickly to the front door and opening it. Ale and her mother got up quickly to follow him, and Ale was suddenly aware of the drabness of the walls, how small her home must seem to someone who lived in a castle. 

“Good evening.” Came a low, calm voice. They watched as Antonio backed up to let a very tall figure in.

She could feel her heart stop with excitement, as the very alive and real Professor Albus Dumbledore stepped into their home. Towering over them, his long silver beard coming down to his middle and wearing robes of blues and silvers, his piercing blue eyes peered curiously at all of them through his half-moon spectacles. Gently, his eyes crinkled as he smiled at them and Antonio slowly closed the door behind him.

“Good evening, everybody. Thank you for welcoming me into your home. I am Albus Dumbledore.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *bisabuela is Spanish for great-grandmother :^)


	5. Her New Responsibility

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weight begins to settle now, and the responsibility is put forward. Will they take it?

“Holy shit.” Alejandra whispered, flinching as her mother made a scornful hissing noise at her. “S-Sorry!”

“It’s quite alright.” Dumbledore chuckled. “Shall we all sit, then?” He motioned to the couches and they moved automatically to take their seats. Ale let her parents sit at the gray couch, Dumbledore sat in the middle of the yellow couch, while she sank down into the armchair, hands on her knees again. The back door closed and Graci eventually came in, stopping short as she spotted Dumbledore.

“Oh. Oh my god, hi.” She fussed immediately, smoothing down her hair and came over, flustered, extending a hand to shake. “I am so sorry, I was trying to get our dog to calm down.”

“That’s quite alright.” Dumbledore extended his own hand, long thin fingers closing completely around Graci’s hand and shaking firmly. Graci shook, looking a little awestruck, then backed away and perched on the arm of the chair Ale sat on.

“Well, I must say, I never thought I would have this opportunity to speak with you all. It is quite the honor.” Dumbledore said, still smiling. “Though I believe I have corresponded once or twice before with you, Mrs. Solares.” He fixed her with a knowing gaze, and Arlette nodded, still looking shocked by Dumbledore’s presence. 

“You--You have?” Ale gasped.

“Oh, yes, many years ago, to report the death of her grandmother.” Dumbledore looked at Ale now and she felt a fluttering in her stomach, shaking her head quickly.

“Oh. R-Right. Yeah, they-- they told me a little bit about her when we got the letters..”

“Good. I suppose that makes this conversation a bit easier.” He gave a sort of “that’s that” motion and folded his hands on his lap. Suddenly, Arlette seemed to finally shake from her stupor and said in English, her accent still thick, “Would you like something to drink?”

“ _Ah, some water would be nice. The trip has left me quite parched._ ” Dumbledore spoke in surprisingly fluent Spanish and chuckled when they all blinked at him.

“Of course he would,” Graci said, as if realizing the most obvious thing in the world, and watched as her mother scurried off to retrieve a glass of water. 

“ _So, Sr. Dumbledore…_ ” Antonio began in Spanish, “ _or do you prefer Professor?_ ” 

“ _Professor, please._ ” Dumbledore tilted his head respectfully, and thanked Arlette as she returned with the glass. 

“ _Professor. You reached out to my daughter with a reason. We are all curious to see wh_ _y y_ _ou sent the letter._ ”

“ _Ah, yes,_ ” Dumbledore took a sip of water and set the glass down carefully. “ _You see, as I’m sure your daughters are aware, I come from a world thought to be fictional. This self you see, actually, comes from 1995. In your current time, I have already passed on nearly a decade ago._ ” He sat for a moment, considering his words, before continuing. “ _The reason I have come to your family, and your daughter specifically, is because the timeline I have come from is in danger._ ”

“Danger?” Graci and Ale said at the same time, brows knitting in worry.

“ _There is an individual who has_ _,_ _unfortunately_ _,_ _procured a very precious device and has been using it in an effort to alter major events. This person is closely involved with Lord Voldemort_ _,_ _and has been doing_ _anything and everything within his power_ _to ensure that Harry Potter does not thwart Voldemort’s attempts at taking over._ _The_ _device he has_ _obtained_ _is one_ _which_ _, even in the hands of the right person, should never be_ _used_ _._ ” He reached into the front of his robes and carefully took out a thin gold chain draped around his neck, with a very familiar device hanging from it - an hourglass surrounded by brilliant, shimmering golden rings, inscriptions written along the rims. A Time Turner.

Ale gasped softly, in awe at the sight of it. Dumbledore smiled at her.

“He’s-- he’s gotten a Time Turner?” Graci asked nervously.

“Correct.” Dumbledore said.

“But- can they even travel that far in years? And how is he doing any of this?”

“Wait, but, what’s his name?” Ale cut in, bewildered. “Who is this dude--?” Graci, immediately, shushed Ale impatiently. Dumbledore smiled at them, continuing to answer Graci first. 

“ _That is where it gets tricky,_ ” Dumbledore sighed, reverting back to Spanish for the ease of their parents. “ _This device, Mr. and Mrs. Solares, is a device that allows one to travel through time_ _,_ _as I am sure you have already understood. Usually, one cannot - or should not - travel more than a few hours at a time._

 _However, with the right abilities, or manipulation, it seems that it is possible to travel much_ _further_ _than that, as_ _you have_ _seen. With my magic, for example,_ _I have_ _been able to manipulate_ _the Time Turner_ _enough to go forward_ _, and into_ _the future. I have_ _attempted to be_ _very careful with my impact on_ _future events_ _, as I am not sure how my presence will affect this timeline._

 _However, the individual in question has similar abilities it seems_ _,_ _and so far, I have flouted their attempts at interference. However, it is becoming more difficult_ _,_ _and I require very specific assistance.”_ His eyes fell on Ale now, the gentle smile still on his face. Ale felt another nervous thrill, like an odd cold flutter in her stomach, and her spine jittered upright. Her question was about to be answered. 

“ _The individual is Gilbert Crawford._ ” He said finally after a moment, and Ale knew immediately there was weight to the name. It felt much like when she read in the books she’d always loved how people reacted to Voldemort’s name - her mother gasped, her father’s hand clenched and Graci’s eyes widened. Ale, however, was confused. 

“W-Who?”

“Ah, they have not told you who Mr. Crawford is, then.” Dumbledore looked at her parents, and Ale immediately said, “Wait, no, it’s okay-- I was still getting some information--”

“It’s alright, I did not mean to accuse you.” Dumbledore smiled once more at her.

“ _That man he’s speaking about…_ ” Arlette began, looking fairly shaken now, “ _...is the man who murdered Mami Marciela._ ” 

Ale felt like she swallowed a stone weight very suddenly. This was no coincidence. “H-How? They said he was in prison--” 

“He was. Unfortunately, it seems he has managed to escape, perhaps biding his time until the Dementors had left Azkaban. How or when, I am not sure, I have been unable to see the details fully. It seems the Ministry of Magic has not tracked Mr. Crawford’s disappearance just yet. Strangely, their ignorance in this works along with what I hope to do.”

“And that’s..?” Ale asked, hearing Graci give a soft little gasp at her side. It seemed she worked it out before Ale did.

“You will be traveling back in time to when Harry Potter is at Hogwarts and you will be responsible for ensuring that Crawford’s attempts are thwarted. I have made my own efforts so far in the first two years of his attempts at intervening in favor of Voldemort, which are incidentally Harry’s first two years at school. However, having my attention divided between this and ensuring anything else is not affected by his intervention is becoming very difficult to maintain. _So I request from you and your parents_ ,” He switched back to Spanish once more. 

“ _Please allow Alejandra to travel back in time to atten_ _d H_ _ogwarts at the same time Harry Potter did for the next few years to ensure that the timeline is not altered and Mr. Crawford is not successful in his attempts. I can assure you that your daughter will be under my guard for the time_ _that_ _she is there_ _,_ _and it will be beneficial for her to develop her own magical abilities, as she was so unfortunately prevented from_ _doing so previously_ _._ ” 

There was an uncertain silence, where Ale watched her parents stare rather hard at Dumbledore, almost unsure how to even wrap their minds around what they had just been told. Arlette was still pale from the news of Crawford’s escape, and it seemed at first they were ready to say no. Ale already felt disappointment bubbling in her and, pleadingly, she said, “Mami-- papi--”

“She should do it.” Graci spoke with such conviction, they all looked at her at once. Ale could feel a crick in her neck from how fast she whipped her head around. Graci just looked straight at Dumbledore, though not at any of them.

“What?” Ale gasped softly, taken aback.

“She - you should do this. This is clearly extremely important, or Dumbledore wouldn’t have taken such a huge risk to do this. And obviously, he seems to trust that you, of all people, can do this. I don’t know why it’s… you, but if there was someone else...” For a moment, Ale could see some uncertainty again, this time in her sister’s face before she sighed and continued on. “If there was someone else, you know he would have found them, he wouldn’t be here.” She looked at Ale for a moment, letting their shared knowledge bolster her own convictions. “Mami. Papi, Dumbledore is a very powerful wizard. Just like Abuelita Marci was. I think… we’re going to have to trust him on this.” 

Another silence followed her words, and Dumbledore smiled, looking heartened by Graci’s speech, and finally their parents seemed to sigh slowly at the same time, before, in resignation, Antonio said,

“Okay.”


	6. Identity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Agreements are now in place, and one begins to wonder where things go from here...

The meeting had changed things slowly in the days following. The first immediate thing they did was arrange to pull Alejandra from the high school roster, since she would no longer be attending. She was a bit disappointed, but at the same time, relieved she didn’t need to read the book the school assigned her anymore. 

They also began to prepare what things she could and couldn’t take with her. It was decided that at the end of August, she would be going to stay at the Leaky Cauldron under arrangements made by Professor Dumbledore. For the next few years, he would be personally transporting Ale until she could do it herself when needed for the final year she would be there. They also came up with a cover story as to why she was transferring late - she’d been kept in the dark (which was true) of her magical ability until recently and her parents finally decided to tell her, so they reached out to Dumbledore to send her to Hogwarts so she could learn there since there was no school in America. 

There was no further discussion about the future since they would be taking this on a year-by-year basis for now. 

“Professor,” Ale said just before he stepped out of the door to leave and he turned to look at her, “Weird question… Walkmans existed back then… do you think I could bring one?”

“Ale!” Graci rolled her eyes but Dumbledore gave a soft laugh and said, “That would be rather nice for time off. Unfortunately, the device may not work properly in close proximity to magic. Something not entirely refined in those days.” He gave her a smile and left, though Ale continued to think on it after. Maybe, if she developed her magic enough, she could find a way to make it work… 

Still, not much thought was spared, as she had the next few weeks to prep her things, get her toiletries and clothes sorted, and explain to her friends that she was going to a new school. She’d been sworn to secrecy by Dumbledore not to divulge anything of what she was doing to anybody outside of her family. Even in the future, the Statute of Secrecy was still valid. 

So as far as her friends knew, she’d been transferred to attend a boarding school where she would have limited to no contact with them. It was difficult to accept, since they had plans for the summer to gather and play together, (“We had another year of music camp!” Amary said rather sadly) but they understood with time.

When the end of August finally came (which incidentally, allowed them all to celebrate birthdays early), a trunk with the Hogwarts crest had appeared in the entrance room of the house and all her packed things were moved from her bag and suitcases to the trunk. Draping her bag of immediate things of entertainment she wanted to bring with her, Ale turned to leave her room finally with a heavy and nervous sigh, abruptly running into her sister.

“Bah!” She yelped, stumbling back and Graci clicked her tongue in annoyance.

“It’s just me. Here.” She held out a book to her and Ale recognized it as her copy of Prisoner of Azkaban. She blinked at her sister and slowly took it.

“What’s this for?”

“A refresher. You should take the books - _and hide them_ \- so you have an idea of what you’re going into. We don’t know what this Crawford guy is going to be up to, and this is going to be a really important start to some of the things that happen later… Just make sure nobody else sees it. You need to be extra careful.”

Ale felt a little put off by that - it wasn’t the first time she and her family had this discussion of being mindful not to spill any details of her actual reasoning for being there, or give any indication she wasn’t from that time. It was extremely important she fit in as much as possible.

“Alright, I get it.” She tucked the book into her backpack, slinging it onto her shoulder again. “I’ll make sure nobody is around whenever I read it… I’ll probably read it while I’m at the Leaky Cauldron.” 

“Good.”

As evening fell, they were waiting in the sitting room when the knock on the door roused them from silence. Dumbledore was right on time, Antonio opening the door for him and Ale going around for last minute hugs. 

“ _Stay safe, listen to everything he tells you to do, and do not hesitate to ask for help. Please keep in touch. Dumbledore said you’d be able to._ ” Arlette said hurriedly, squeezing her twice.

“Okay, mami,” Ale reassured, knowing her mother was probably fighting back nervous tears. She stepped to her sister who hugged her a little awkwardly, but there was still warmth. 

“Be safe. Love you.”

“Love you too,” Feeling a little more heartened from that, Ale stepped back and smiled, looking as Dumbledore stepped into the house wearing grey and purple robes this time. He smiled at them all and Ale moved to hug her father last.

“Love you, _mija. Make sure you write._ ” He kissed the side of her head and they parted, watching as Ale waved at them and Dumbledore, with a gentle sweep of his wand, caused the trunk to float behind them. With one last, nervous look, Ale smiled bracingly at her family and left the house. 

The street was completely dark, all the streetlights off. Nobody was peering out of their house, but Ale couldn’t help the occasional nervous glance over her shoulder as she followed Dumbledore under the arch of trees at the end of the street.

“Nobody noticed you?” She asked softly, stopping as he turned just at the edge of the treeline, took out the Deluminator and clicked it. Orbs of light flew back to their respective streetlamp and dimly lit the street with a dull orange light.

“I pride myself in my ability to remain unnoticed, if I wish to be.” His eye twinkled a little as he smiled down at her. “Now, we shall be off. Take my arm, Miss Solares.” 

“A-Are we Apparating, Professor?”

“We are. Take a deep breath and relax, and do not let go.”

She gripped his forearm nervously, taking a steadying breath and letting it out slowly. There was silence, save for the sound of church bells and a clock tower going off somewhere in the distance at the change of hour. 

In a flash, suddenly, she felt the intense squeezing sensation all around her and there were threads of gold flashing across them. For a few seconds, the golden light grew more intense, wrapping around them, and then abruptly releasing them. Ale stumbled, falling backward, rolling onto her stomach and was sick on the pavement right away. 

“Oh, dear,” Dumbledore said in concern, “Here..” He waited once she was done, helping her sit up and handed her a small glass bottle filled with a purple potion. “Drink this slowly, it should help. The sensation of Apparating is quite intense, though thankfully we should only have to do it twice a year.” 

Groaning, eyes watering, and her nose and throat burning, she carefully drank the potion and took a second to reorient herself. The feeling from Apparating was much more intense than she expected - it definitely was as described, being squeezed through a too-tight tube, but she also felt like they had spun in place and those golden threads were still burned into her vision every time she blinked. 

“The--that light-- was that-?”

“The added effects of the time travel.” Dumbledore answered simply and she watched him tuck the Time Turner, which was still glowing faintly, back under his robes. “Be careful not to look directly at the lights next time.” 

“Right..” She mumbled, getting to her feet slowly, with his help, and drank more of the potion. The sick feeling in her stomach ebbed away quickly and the burning in her throat eased. She regretted having eaten so soon before leaving the house. Turning away from it, she realized they were in what looked like a mostly empty, relatively normal looking street. A few doors down was an unmarked building that, as she followed Dumbledore over and finished the remainder of the potion, she watched in awe as a sign dangling from above the door slowly filled with the words,

_THE LEAKY CAULDRON_

“Here we are.” He tucked the empty bottle away as Ale handed it to him. “Your accommodations have been made for the night. Tomorrow, I suggest perhaps you take the opportunity to familiarize yourself with your new surroundings. Take some time and enjoy yourself.” 

“O-Okay.” Ale felt better since drinking the potion, but her nerves were still on edge. She shuffled over to her trunk as it lowered to the ground gently, and took the handle on one end to drag it behind her. 

“We will speak more once you arrive at the school. I will send for you when it is time. For now, good evening, Alejandra.” 

Hand resting against the door, just before pushing it open, she looked at him and smiled. 

“Allie. I prefer Allie.” 

He smiled and nodded, stepping back away from her. “Have a good evening, Allie.”


	7. Red Is A Warm Color

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New worlds are crossed into, and new opportunities arise!

The musty smell of wood and stale beer permeated the air as Allie walked in, gazing around the dimly lit bar. It must’ve been a late hour because it was mostly empty, save for a witch sat in the corner, gazing rather intensely into her book and clutching her head as if afraid the information would fall out somehow. There was a mass of robes that gave a jolt then lapsed into more snores in another little alcove in the room, just under the stairway. And then heavy, thumping footsteps drew her attention as a wizened, hunched elderly man lumbered towards her.

“Are you the girl Dumbledore’s supposed to be bringin’?” He asked, a little gruffly, sizing her up. She stepped back, flustered, and nearly tripped backwards over her trunk.

“Uh--yes--” She said, catching her balance quickly and clutched the straps of her backpack.

“Good. Welcome to the Leaky Cauldron, Miss…?”

“Solares. Allie Solares.” 

“I’m Tom. You’ll be headin’ up the stairs. Room 7.”

 _Lucky number,_ she thought, stepping aside at his beckoning and he grunted, lifting her trunk with some trouble.

“Do you--?” She began but he grunted, “No need. Go on, then.”

And with an excited little flutter in her chest, she started to the staircase, carefully walking up. It creaked with each step, but remained firm in place as she got up to the second landing, watching nervously as Tom struggled up with her trunk. He continued ahead of her, leading her down the hall of rooms further down and stopped outside one with a brass number seven on it. Allie opened it instead of letting Tom, who was just setting the trunk down. 

The room had a soft glow from the nearest lamps hanging from the ceiling on either side of a large, very comfortable looking four poster bed with gray hangings. The floor and ceiling were the same dark wood as the rest of the pub, and a fireplace was set across from the bed. There was a wardrobe in one corner of the room and two nightstands on either side of the bed. 

Immediately, after taking a moment to observe the room, Allie turned and helped Tom bring her trunk into the room and he gave a grunt of relief when they fully set it down.

“Thank you,” She said quickly, with all genuine appreciation, “it must’ve been so heavy--”

“It’s quite alright-” He wheezed, waving her concern away again. “Part--part of the job.. Let--let me know should you need anything..” And, holding his back, he limped away, Allie watching with a wince of sympathy. When the door closed, she turned, fully inspecting the room and sat on her trunk slowly.

It felt so surreal to think that she was actually here. Despite a couple of weeks passing since she’d received the letter, she still felt she was going to wake the next day back at home and find this was all a dream. 

Still, she felt a flutter of excitement bubble up in her, and maybe, if everything was still here tomorrow, she’d finally get to enjoy the reality of it all. Clutching to that thought, she changed into pajamas, extinguished the lights, and crawled into bed to sleep. 

* * *

When morning came, instead of being greeted by crimson walls laden with drawings or the sounds of her father playing salsa music while preparing breakfast in the kitchen, Allie awoke to the drapings of the four poster bed around her and the unfamiliar sounds of footsteps shuffling on wood outside her door. It took her a few, disoriented minutes to place herself and realize that it was morning at the Leaky Cauldron. 

Adrenaline filled her system and she felt the most awake she’d ever felt before, leaping out of bed with a gasp. Her trunk, with the Hogwarts crest emblazoned on the top, bore her initials. She really had arrived to the wizarding world - the actual real, existing, wizarding world. 

She hurried to get dressed and cleaned up for the day, stuffing her much smaller satchel with things she wanted to carry - her smallest sketchbook with an assortment of pencils and erasers, her wallet, and her lucky little Charmander figurine she’d always carried with her since she was a kid. 

The Leaky Cauldron was bustling a lot more now - filtering in and out from the front door through the back door were a mingle of older folk and what she immediately recognized were an assortment of Hogwarts students, since some of them were heading out in newly fitted black cloaks or arms of supplies. The widest grin she could muster spread across her face, filled with awe and excitement at the sight. 

This was better than going to some high school. Much better. 

But then the thought struck her very suddenly -- she didn’t have any money for supplies. How was she going to buy any of the books she needed, much less a wand? Her smile began to falter slowly, and her heart sank. She had forgotten completely to ask Professor Dumbledore. She could already hear Graci chastising her for it. (“How could you forget something so important?! It’s just like all the times you forget to tell mami about the supplies you need for school!”)

Guiltily, she sighed, clutching to the bannister when a pair of voices made her jump suddenly. 

“‘Scuse us, darling, just want to get by.” Said one, rather coyly. 

“Unless you require some sort of password to let us through.” Followed the other and she turned quickly, blushing in embarrassment.

“Oh- I--” But she immediately felt words falter her, her cheeks burning even harder. A pair of red-headed, freckled twins were grinning identically at her and she felt her heart race nervously. There was no way that those two, of all people, had just wound up in front of her.

They caught sight of her shocked expression and glanced at each other in confusion. One waved his hand over her face.

“Blimey, her face is as red as a Quaffle.” One snickered.

“Think she’s malfunctioning, Fred.” The twin waving his hand said, and Allie immediately identified him as George. But if she glanced just quickly enough, she might just lose track of who was who. They really were exactly the same. They even wore matching long sleeve shirts. 

Right away, Allie’s eyes darted downwards instead of their faces, and saw their sleeves were rolled up and displayed the faintest little white scars and burn marks here and there. Their frames were fairly stocky, which she attributed to the years of playing beaters.

“I-- Sorry--” She quickly stepped out of the way from the landing to let them through and they snorted in unison.

“No need, ladies first. Best hurry if you’re looking to get to Diagon Alley. There’s quite the crowd moving about, wouldn’t want someone small as you getting swept up in it.” Fred said. It made Allie very aware that she, indeed, was much shorter than them, just barely reaching their shoulders. 

“He’s Fred and I’m George, by the way.” George immediately put a hand on her shoulder, Fred taking her other and they began to guide her down to avoid a couple of rather irate witches who were waiting at the landing for them to move. But Fred immediately interjected with, “No, _I’m_ George and he’s Fred-” 

They argued for a minute over who got to be Fred and who got to be George, and Allie couldn’t help but grin a little, though she was still fairly flustered, and the back and forth made her genuinely confused.

“Uh—“ Finding her voice once more, she cleared her throat in between their discussion. “I’m Alejandra. Alejandra Solares.” The roll of her r’s in her name made their brows go up in unison, as well as what she knew was her lack of a British accent. “But I prefer going by Allie.”

“Well, you aren’t from around here, are you?” Fred folded his arms loosely across his chest with a crooked smile and Allie shook her head. “Are you a tourist?”

“Uh- n-no. I’m— I’m a student— or I will be, at Hogwarts.” She explained, really trying to find more courage to look them properly in the eye and not be so damn nervous. 

“Really? I didn’t think Hogwarts accepted students from America.” George’s brows furrowed curiously.

“Uh- I don’t- I don’t think it h-happens normally. I’m a sp-special circumstance. I didn’t have a school to go to.” She’d rehearsed the lie many times with her sister and had gone over it with Dumbledore. “So we reached out to Dumbledore to see if I could possibly go to Hogwarts and… he said yes.”

“Wouldn’t put it past Dumbledore.” Fred nodded wisely. “Well, welcome to England! I think you’ll like Hogwarts, it has a lot to offer, especially if you haven’t been to a magic school before. First year?”

“No, uh… fourth year.”

Immediately, the twins actually looked surprised. “ _Fourth_? Wow!” Allie immediately felt her blush deepen again. She knew that she still looked young in the face.

“You really seem like any other scared first year.” Fred (or George?) said. 

“I-I get mistaken a lot.” Allie mumbled back, internally wishing she would stop stammering. 

“But how are you starting out in your fourth--?” George (or Fred) began, but immediately were interrupted by the sound of someone calling, “Fred! George!” from nearby. The twins instinctively winced.

“That’s mum.” George turned around, looking past the banister over to the back door. Struggling against a small crowd of people trying to make their way through to Diagon Alley was a plump looking witch with a girl a few years younger than Allie, both with red hair. The older woman’s hair was a bit more frazzled and tied back in a bun while the girl’s was straight down and fairly long. Molly Weasley was trying to look over the crowd for the twins. She spotted them and, finally managing to make her way over, stopped in front of them, just out of the way of another passing family. 

“There you two are! Don’t go dawdling about, you promised you’d take Ginny into Diagon Alley today. Percy is waiting by the door.” Mrs. Weasley began sharply as Ginny let go of her arm, glancing at Allie right away and blinking curiously. 

“But mum, we’ve just made a new friend!” One of the twins said, both standing on either side of Allie and draping their arms around her neck. “She’s new here!”

“What?” Mrs. Weasley, who was rummaging through her purse, blinked and looked up. Once more, Allie’s face burned with equal parts embarrassment and bashfulness. She was actually flanked by the twins, and was surrounded by Weasleys. 

(If she hadn’t just had the realization this morning that everything wasn’t a dream, she’d be trying to pinch herself at that moment.) 

Offering her sheepish grin, Allie watched Mrs. Weasley’s face immediately melted into a kind look. 

“Oh, dear, I’m sorry for being rude. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Are you starting out at Hogwarts?” 

“Yes, but she’s a fourth year just transferring.” One of the twins corrected before she could say anything and Allie watched the same look of surprise dawn over Mrs. Weasley, expecting to see it more often going forward. Ginny, however, gave a little nod of understanding. 

“Transfer--?”

“Mum, Dad said there’s a line at Flourish and Blotts!” A voice called from the doorway, and Allie could see Percy Weasley standing there, waving at Mrs. Weasley.

“Oh-- we should get going-- have you got your supplies yet, dear?” Mrs. Weasley began to usher all of them to the doorway quickly now, the twins flanking Allie still. 

“I - I haven’t--” Allie began, wanting to add that she didn’t have any money to buy supplies, but the twins piped up.

“We could help her!”

“Yeah, better she has a helping hand, mum.”

They stopped once outside, by the archway leading into Diagon Alley and Mrs. Weasley sighed. “Alright. But don’t be late for dinner. I’ll go with Ginny and Percy.” 

“Wait, I want to go with Fred and George!” Ginny protested.

“No, you come with me, Ginny, don’t get in their way--” Mrs. Weasley looked at her sternly and Allie felt a sense of sympathy - that youngest child syndrome.

“It’s -- it’s okay, she can come along.” She finally found the courage to speak up and Ginny beamed. Mrs. Weasley sighed. 

“Fine, alright, go on. Here, do _not_ buy more than you need to! We spent enough money in Egypt…” She distributed some gold to them and each sibling pocketed their respective money. “Come on, Percy.” 

Percy adjusted the Head Boy badge on his chest, perhaps unconsciously preening, and followed his mother down the street through the bustling population.

“Excellent, got out of a trip with mum.” One of the twins said with a grin. “Where should we go first? You’ve got your gold on you, right?” 

“W-Well, I- er-” 

“There yeh are! Blimey, Dumbledore wasn’ kiddin’ about yeh bein’ so tiny!” 

They turned as a large form made his way from nearby, ducking beneath the archway and stepping around to them. All three Weasley siblings beamed up at him. “Hi Hagrid!”

Hagrid was immense, towering over the four of them, standing easily at eight feet tall. His wild black hair reminded Allie of her own when she was much younger, but longer and thicker. His equally wild beard hid most of his face with twinkling eyes crinkled at the edges gazing down at them. He swept down to shake hands with the twins and gave a brief little hug to Ginny. 

“‘Allo there, you lot. Hopefully up ter no trouble?”

“No promises, Hagrid.” Ginny grinned. “Were you looking for someone?”

“Well, the girl standin’ righ’ beside yeh!” He held out a large hand to shake. “Rubeus Hagrid! Keeper of keys and grounds a’ Hogwarts! I was sen’ to deliver somethin’ ter yeh.” 

Allie’s hand felt dwarfed compared to his but his handshake was gentle as possible, large fingers clasping completely around her hand. 

“Hi.” The sight of Hagrid filled her with warm joy and Allie beamed a little more confidently at him. “W-What was it?”

“This.” He leaned back, patting around his pockets. “I knew I pu’ it somewhere… Aha!” From one of his inside pockets, he extracted out a brown sack and shook it. The unmistakable sound of many gold coins clinked around inside. “Go’ it from yer great-gran’s vault. Dumbledore figured yeh wouldn’ wan’ t’make the trip on yer own down the vaults so he asked me to ge’ you some money fer your supplies! I got yeh a little extra in case yeh wanna treat yerself.” He gave a wink and handed her the sack. The previous disappointment was quelled right away and Allie felt her heart soar with excitement now. 

“Well, I’ll be goin’ now! Don’ go corrupting her, now, boys!” He said with feigned warning at the twins and ducked into the Leaky Cauldron.

“That’s a lot of money,” Ginny said, cupping her hand under the sack to feel the weight for a moment. “We could stop by Florence and Fortescue’s after… Have you tried it yet?”

“This is my first full day here.” Allie admitted, stowing the gold away in her satchel for safekeeping. 

“Oh, you’re going to love it here.” Ginny grinned.

“Let’s hurry before it gets too busy,” The twins began to push them along and Allie, without any hesitation, let herself be jostled forward.


End file.
